Tea with Me

Thank you for stopping by today! As promised yesterday, we'll have British-themed crafts this week in honor of Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee celebration.

Afternoon tea is a British tradition I've come to love. It's the whole formal set-up of tea pots, cups, saucers, tea caddies, and tiny spoons. The sugar and the cream. The three-tiered stands of finger sandwiches, scones, and sweets.  

This picture is from a lovely afternoon at London's The Orangery a few years ago...indeed, it was a unique travel experience! 

Sometimes, I try to recreate the experience at home. By myself or with a few girlfriends. The tea paraphernalia I own are TADA! finds from flea markets. The loose tea leaves are little treats I pick up when I'm out shopping and stumble upon a store specializing in tea. When I have a few extra hours, I'll make the baked goods from scratch.

A cup of tea is a daily ritual and because, like you, my days are frenetic, it's all too common that I use a regular mug and pull out a tea sachet instead of the elaborate tea set. After the tea has warmed and wakened me, I'm often left with these:

blah: empty tea envelopes 

 Here's what they look like when you flip them.

And here's what I did to transform them 

from blah to TADA!:

 TADA! I made mini envelopes!

I decorated the front and back sides of the tea sachets with magazine cut-outs. I'm using bees, butterflies and flowers for this collection. Have a look:

I think it's a gorgeous way to rescue tea envelopes from the trash.

Tomorrow, I'll show you how I use them. 

See you then!